Manipulation
by MargaretRose14
Summary: When Lexi Nadine sees the destruction in Stuttgard, she hopes to be ignored, uninvolved. But when she receives a note from Tony Stark, she knows she has to run, get out of there before she can be called in and put her small family in danger. But will the past that she can't even remember come back to haunt her? And can she run from those who want to find her? Tony/OC/?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is my first real LONG piece on . I look forward to reviews, comments, and follows! Please show me love!**

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_I'm gonna go on, _

_Living like I never met you_

_And it will feel wrong at first _

_But I think I can forget you_

_-Teenagers, by Hayley Williams_

My emerald gown shimmered in the soft light of the ballroom. I flitted away from the man who'd been hanging on my arm, it was easy enough to convince him that he was much more interested in the blonde bombshell across the room. I watched in amusement as he wandered over and began flirting with a large marble statue. But quickly my attention was drawn away from the sight by the host of the party. He began his speech, thanking the powerful investors for supporting his research. There was a small smattering of applause as he paused, and then there was a large crash. All the heads turned to see a man swinging a blue and gold walking stick and a man sprawled on the ground. It was obvious what had happened.

He grabbed the host, a famous scientist of some kind, and dragged him through the now screaming crowd. The man scrambled against his grip, but he was slammed onto the stone ritualistic altar in the middle of the room. My attention was not on the screaming man, but the one who held him. He wore a long suit coat that showed of his slim build. His hair was black and slicked back, all the strands curling into points at the back of his head. He looked around calmly, smirking slightly as he pulled a silver device out of his coat pocket and slammed it onto the face of the still shrieking captive.

I was bumped by someone trying to get out and was pulled out of my reverie. I turned on my heel to follow the crowds but couldn't help but glance back at the man once again. He was strangely familiar, yet I was sure I had never seen him before in my life.

"Lexi!" yelled the man who had brought me to the party (before he went off with the statue). The man's head snapped up and looked around, his eyes stopping on me. Those green eyes seemed even more familiar. So green. Piercing. Poisonous. Caustic. It burnt my insides yet left me feeling cold, as if I knew this feeling and knew there was something coming after it. He smirked, nodding slightly as if he recognized me. It had the feeling of "hello old friend". That was enough to knock me out of the trance and I turned, running out of the hall, leaving the sound of dripping blood behind me.

He was quick to follow me out, apparently having gained what he needed from the now silent man. I knew he was talking, but in my panic, I couldn't discern the words, just a velvety voice speaking English. His voice had a British edge to it, something I found disconcerting. I glanced back to see his clothing had changed into leather, shining metal, and a bronze helmet sporting what seemed to be horns.

I pushed my way through the crowd, fighting to get away from him and wondering why they had all stopped. But I found the man again on the other side of the group. I backpedaled, trying to find somewhere to run. There was nowhere, the man was somehow multiplying himself, surrounding the scared crowd of people.

I tried to remind myself to stay calm, to remember English, my native tongue. I hadn't used it consistently in a while, but now it seemed that I needed to remember it.

"Kneel!" the man shouted and the group slowly complied. With the people on their knees, it would be hard to move through them without attracting attention.

I kept my gaze on the cobblestone street below me hoping that through some miracle I would melt into the stones and get away and out of this situation. I didn't want to be near the old man who stood and replied, "Not to men like you". I tried even harder to melt as the dangerous stranger called for everyone to look at him, to watch the old man die. I wanted to bury my head in my hands and run. I had left my home to get away from this.

But instead of the man dying, someone dropped in front of him, somehow deflecting the powerful blue light. I looked up to see a man in a skintight blue suit. He looked familiar. But also ridiculous.

" You know," he said "the last time I was in Germany, and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing."

"Ah. The _soldier_… A man out of time." The man in green seemed amused rather than threatened.

"I'm not the one who's out of time." Then the fighting began and, with a few more screams, people began to run.

I stood and began to run though I felt something pulling me back, not wanting me to go too far. I forced myself to keep running as I felt a helicopter whirl over my head, a voice coming over the PA system. "Loki, stand down!" The voice continued but I put it out of my head, running as fast as I could in the stiletto heels I'd thought were _adorable_ that afternoon. Now the words I'd use to describe them were less kind.

As I reached my home, I glanced down to see that my silver clutch was not hanging on my wrist. I was an idiot. I probably dropped it in the square or while I was running. Hopefully I would get it back, it had quite a few things I needed in it.

I pressed my thumb against the print scanner next to the door and with a happy little beep, the door unlocked. I pulled the shoes off with a sigh of relief as I stepped into my expensive little German chateau. The soft sound of German being spoken emanated from the living room, where I was sure our nanny, the lovely young Liesel was engrossed in whatever was going on. It sounded like the news and I immediately knew that she would have a million fast paced questions shot out faster than I could think in German.

I walked into the room to see the blonde young woman staring, mouth hung open, at the sight portrayed: a much destroyed square, the square I had just abandoned for the safety and anonymity that my home provided. But I became engrossed as the news reporter began speaking about exactly WHO had shown up to the scene. The red and gold suit was enough to make me want to hide beneath my covers and not come out for weeks.

I had to pull my attention away from the damn reporter, praising the Iron Man, Captain America, and a bunch of other American people for taking down the strange man who'd attacked the gala.

Liesel was startled out of her reverie by my voice, asking how the night had gone. She answered as she always did, that my angel was just that: an angel. I smiled and shooed her off, we'd see her again tomorrow bright and early. Thankfully I had moved her along fast enough that no questions were asked about the square and my night. As the girl collected her things and left, I couldn't help but be drawn back to the TV. Then I snapped out of it and turned off the program.

As I walked into the kitchen my feet began throbbing again. With a sigh of relief I slipped my shoes off and put the teakettle on.

I was nodding off over my cup of tea when there was a soft knock on the front door. I jumped up, startled and suddenly very very nervous. Could Tony have sniffed me out in so little time? I hadn't expected to actually have to deal with him, I just hated being anywhere near him when I knew it could put my Daphne in danger.

But at the door was my little silver clutch. Just sitting on the mat, as if it was a pet returning home after running away. I picked it up and opened it, leafing through the contents. They all seemed to be there with one small addition.

On the back of a receipt there were a few words scrawled in a spiky, unmanaged, yet readable script. "_Leave Stuttgard immediately"_.


	2. Chapter 2

**So uhm, thank you all for the follows and favorites! I was so excited to see them!  
I'm going to TRY posting every other day, probably at night. I'm not sure how this is going to go, I start grad school in about 2 weeks and I'm about to get really busy. But, I shall try my hardest. **

**So, please read and review, I would love to see comments and constructive criticism!**

**Also, something I forgot: I DO NOT OWN THE AVENGERS. I wish I did. The uniforms would be much skimpier if I did. Muscles. Yum.**

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_Just close your eyes, the sun is going down._

_You'll be all right; no one can hurt you now._

_Come morning light, you and I will be safe and sound_

_-Safe and Sound, by Taylor Swift and the Civil Wars_

I was no longer tired. That night I stayed up and packed, taking only the essentials. Of course, for me that meant a few articles of clothing, my computer and the extra passports Daphne and I would use in case of emergency.

For Daphne this would mean her stuffed teddy bear, her unicorn, her backpack of books and music, and her magic kit. At the ripe age of four, Daph would refuse to go anywhere without any of those things, even if I promised to replace them all. I couldn't blame her though, I'm sure I was that way as a child.

When the little one woke up I was quick to pack all those things along with clothing for her while she got dressed and ate breakfast. After that, we left, heading out to the car and off to the airport. Daph, who was used to my erratic behavior, wasn't prepared for this.

"But Liesel is coming today!" she complained in heavily accented English. She hated speaking English but I insisted, especially since the plane we would be getting on would be taking us to the Midwest, to my safe house in Chicago. They wouldn't look for us there, Tony had a house in Malibu and New York, but nowhere near Chicago.

"We'll have to call her and apologize. Maybe we can have a different play date," I suggested, perhaps glancing in the mirror a bit too often.

"No!" And there was the four year old temper I had been expecting. I ignored her, focusing on the road ahead of me. We just had to get out of Stuttgard. Tony didn't know where she would go next. And if he didn't know, he couldn't get near Daphne. And if he couldn't get near her, he wouldn't know about her and then wouldn't be able to test her.

"I want to go back." I felt my will waver and looked back at the black haired doll in the back seat.

"Do not do that." I snapped. She pouted again and folded her arms across her chest. We sat in silence until we reached the airport where I passed the keys off to a valet and took the ticket I would promptly throw away.

As soon as we made it to the ticket counter, I knew we were in trouble. There were men in suits checking all passports against a pair of pictures. I took Daphne's hand and looked around. If there had been 2 or 3, I could have handled them. However, there were at least 20 and perhaps even more waiting somewhere.

2 of them looked up and began walking over towards me. I spun, heading for the door. We were cut off by two other men, blocking our way through the sliding glass door. I pushed Daphne behind me, putting myself between the two sets of men and her.

"Miss, you'll need to come with us," one of the men said, his sunglasses reflecting my obstinate face right back to me. Another man put his hand on my arm and I shrugged it off.

"And why would I do that?" I asked, allowing a British accent to lilt into my voice, "My daughter and I are citizens of Great Britain and you are clearly American." I offered him 2 passports, one for "Diane Therese Nolan" and one for "Alice Valentine Nolan". The man looked through the passports, glanced at one of the other suits and nodded.

"Miss Nadine, we know this are false identities." The man who had nodded said, taking the passports and tucking them into a pocket. "Would you rather be arrested for fraud or listen to what we have to say?"

Daphne, still clutching my hand, put her face on my hip, looking at the men, glaring daggers with her big grey eyes.

"I'll speak with you," I nodded. Perhaps they'll be stupid enough to leave me in a room with just one. Then I could convince him to let us go. I picked up my daughter and balanced her on a hip. The men took our bags and escorted us to a side room where we could sit on comfortable leather chairs. They left two men in the room and said they'd be right back. Daphne sat on the chair and gave me a look.

While Daphne knew what we could do was different, she had never been in the presence of government officials. Especially Americans. I had hoped that she could live a normal life for the most part, without this kind of situation. I could only hope this wouldn't turn into another Stark situation.

A smaller man strolled into the room carrying a thick manila folder. His hairline was receding but over all he had a kind face. It stirred something in my memory and from nowhere, I had a name to put with the face.

"Miss Nadine," he nodded, then looked at the smaller, paler version of me sitting beside me. "And this is your daughter? Daphne, I believe?"

"Agent Coulson, I can't say I know why my daughter and I have been detained."

He set the folder on the table between us and began flipping through it. Without even getting a good look at what the tiny script depicted I could tell you exactly what it said. It was Tony Stark's file on me. On my abilities. "It is my understanding that you were in the square last night in Stuttgard? You witnessed the attack?"

"How did you find out I was here?" I demanded, refusing to acknowledge my brief participation in the event last night. "Stark told you, didn't he?" My voice dripped with venom. Daphne crawled into my lap; she knew that tone. She set her face against my chest and I put an arm around her shoulders.

"We've known that you were here for a long time. Since Daphne was born, in fact. We just never needed you before this."

I laughed, sharp jagged laughs, as if the idea of them needing me was ripping through the fabric of my life, tearing the fragile material to shreds. "You need me? And what use would have for me?"

"We need your help convincing someone."

"And what would I get in return for convincing this person?"

"You won't be arrested and once this person is out of the way, you will be left alone."

"Set free until you need me again?"

"Essentially, yes."

"What about Daphne?" she shifted at the sound of her name, looking up at me and then over to Coulson.

"She will be left alone."

"No tests?"

"None."

I chewed on the inside of my lip thoughtfully, running a hand through Daph's black hair, straight and silky, so unlike my own brown curls. I looked down at her and she looked back at me and I nodded, looking back to Agent Coulson. "I'll do it. But I want it in writing that Daphne will be left alone."

He nodded. "We'll have that written up for you before we go anywhere." He turned and motioned to one of the men by the door. He nodded and left. "May I ask who the father is?" Coulson asked and I bit my lip.

"It's complicated." I kissed the top of Daphne's head and she hugged herself closer to me. "I'm not exactly sure. It happened right after I left Stark, when I was down south with Hawkeye."

"It's not-"

"No. She's not. But I don't know who's she'd be."

Coulson nodded. "We'll keep her safe while you're helping us."

"What?" I said, startled. "No, she needs to stay with me. I can't leave her alone."

"That does mean she'll be exposed to Stark."

"Stark is a part of this deal?" I demanded. This hadn't been covered previously. "What exactly am I a part of now?"

"Do you remember the Avenger Initiative?"

I sighed. That again? I thought that had been dismissed. "Coulson, I do not want to be a part of your little superhero game. And I thought Stark was disqualified from the Initiative."

"We need you to help us recover a stolen alien artifact. We have the thief in custody, we just need you to convince him to give it back."

"It's that man from last night, isn't it? What did he steal?"

"He stole something called a Tesseract. And there is something else. Hawkeye has been compromised."

I pursed my lips. "Daphne stays with me no matter what. Once I'm done I want an immediate flight to wherever I want and no contact from your division."

"Until the next global crisis," he prompted.

"Yes. Until the next time you all put the Earth in danger."

He shook my hand. "Then we have a deal."


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hey everybody. Sorry this one is a bit later than usual, I just got home. I was in the car all day driving from Texas back home to Illinois. It is a 19 hour trip. Don't ever do it, it's awful.**_

_**But anyway, here is part 3. I would REALLY like some reviews to know what people are thinking... I don't want to withhold posting cause I hate when authors do that... so don't make me? Please?**_

_**The chapter after this is going to be all flashback whereas this is about half and half. So, please enjoy cause I made it just for you.**_

_**I don't own the Avengers. Stan Lee does. **_

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_And though the truth may vary_

_this ship will carry our bodies safe to shore_

_Don't listen to a word I say,_

_The screams all sound the same._

_- Little Talks by Of Monsters and Men_

Before we go any further, perhaps I should give you some background on this situation.

I don't remember anything before the age of 10. It's just a blank wall. The first thing I remember is wandering the streets of LA and snatching wallets from unsuspecting citizens. And Tony Stark. Which is what got me into this whole mess.

He noticed me stealing it and I convinced him to let me keep it. Then, when he came to his senses, he started following me and eventually confronted me, asking me out to lunch.

"How did you do it?" he'd asked, his brown eyes glowing with rapt attention.

"Do what?" I asked as I daintily bit into the steak he'd graciously ordered for my starving frame.

He smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Coy doesn't look good on you, Lex. May I call you Lex?"

"No," I replied with a glare. That was the dumbest nickname I'd ever heard.

He leaned forward and gestured with his hands. I could tell that he had a hard time sitting still for long. "Lex, the thing is that I would never just give up my wallet."

"Perhaps you were just feeling especially generous," I shrugged, pushing the bites of steak around my plate.

"No, because when I am feeling very generous, I give my personal assistant the day off."

"How sweet," I simpered, sarcasm dripping from my words.

"I am a very sweet man. But you see, I wouldn't have handed my wallet off to a vagrant. That's just not my style."

I snorted. "You are so charming."

He smiled. "But what did you do? Why did I give you my wallet?"

"What do you remember?" I asked after a moment. No one had ever really told me about their half of the experience and I was interested to hear it now.

"Nothing. I got back home and JARVIS alerted me that my wallet was gone. My memory is like, blank. What did you do?"

"You caught me stealing your wallet and I asked if I could keep it. You said yes."

He groaned. "I'm not going to believe that."

The conversation continued on like this until we had finished our lunch and the waitress brought the bill. I didn't move to take it, it's not as if I could pay it anyway. He took the check and without looking, slipped a card into the envelope. We sat for a while longer until he had managed to convince me to go back to his house. He wouldn't ask me any more questions but I would let him run a few tests.

But back to Agent Coulson and the airport lounge. He had given me a sheet outlining our agreement, outlining the fact that Daphne would be left alone, I would be paid handsomely, and after this incident, I would be left alone unless my very specific talents were needed. Once the document had been signed by Coulson and myself, Daphne and I were ushered onto a heli-carrier bound for the current base. Location: Need to know basis and we didn't need to know.

Daphne had a good time fussing with the multiple seat belts, buckling each of her stuffed animals into a different seat and only then allowing one of the suits to buckle her in next to me. Coulson was speaking quietly with the pilot until the craft took off. He then took the seat across from me, trying to catch my eye. I busied myself straightening Daph's hair, brushing the silky black locks into order.

It was a long flight and the four year old was very quick to fall asleep in the seat, her little mouth hanging open and the teddy bear, having been freed from the restrictive seats, was clutched in her fists.

"You had to have known we would find you," Coulson said softly. "Its not as if you hid very well."

"I wasn't hiding… not exactly. I was just trying to retreat to living under the radar."

"Tony Stark's radar," it wasn't a question, merely a clarification.

"Maybe if he didn't see me around, he would forget. He'd move onto his new idea, the next big idea that would save the planet."

"After the test results came back? And your tests at SHIELD?"

I shrugged. I had lived with Tony for over a year while he'd been testing me, I'd hoped that he would have grown bored. "My results were no where near extraordinary. In fact, Tony seemed to lose interest when he couldn't figure out what caused the anomaly."

There was silence for a long time. I didn't want to say anything and it seemed Coulson could think of nothing to say either. I focused on Daphne, brushing her hair with my fingers and occasionally shifting her into a more comfortable postion.

"Coming in for a landing, sir!"

"Good," Coulson replied. "You'll probably need to hang on, it will be a bumpy landing." I nodded and turned to Daphne to adjust her seat belts. As I did this, she woke up, grumbling about being awake.

"We're landing sweet pea. Hold on to your bear, okay?" she nodded sleepily and clutched the bear to her chest.

Once the bumpy and slightly traumatic experience was over, I helped Daph out of the seat and collected our things.

"You'll be briefed on the situation and then sent into the situation. Hopefully we can get you out of here as soon as possible," Coulson said as we disembarked off the carrier. We had landed and then entered into a building, so I couldn't tell you much about the look of the building. What I could tell you is that it was fully stocked with air ships, weapons, and people. Coulson ushered us past these people and into a small corridor.

He pressed a code into a keypad next to a door and the door slid open. "This will be your room. It should be big enough for both of you."

Daphne pushed into the room and looked around, then ran and jumped onto the bed. The room was bare, metal walls, with sparse furniture. "You have your own bathroom through that door. Rather than making you and your daughter use the public-"

"Thank you, Agent Coulson," I cut him off. "That is very kind." The undertone of my voice informed him that there were kinder options, such as leaving us alone completely. A private bathroom compared to complete and utter privacy seemed like a very paltry gift.

At least the bed would be big enough for both Daphne and I. Perhaps I could try for two beds…

I turned to the agent. "I would like two beds rather than the one."

"I don't know if that would be possible."

I looked him in the eye and said it again. "I would like two beds rather than the one." He took a breath and I felt the door opening. Sticking my foot between the door and the frame of his brain, I pressed harder. "Two beds please."

He looked a little dazed and blinked at me. I forced the door open, pushing all my weight against the mental wall. There was a small amount of give, and then the wall crumpled. I was in his mind. I repeated the request one more time and then I knew he would give in, go to find a way to make my demand come into being.

Coulson turned to walk away and fulfill my request and, as I watched him leave, another pair of footsteps came down the hall. I turned my head to see the disheveled head I'd been most reluctant to see.

I glanced into the room to see Daphne busy unpacking her magic kit all over the bed, flipping the coin between her fingers with the dexterity of a professional. Then, my attention transferred back to the rapidly approaching Stark.

"Coulson, there you are. I can't believe you didn't tell me I'm not the only hero on board," he said. Then, he looked to the side and saw me. "Lex."

"Anthony." My voice was cold, cold enough that Daphne looked up from her kit to look at me.

"I see you took my advice," he smirked.

"It's because of your advice that I am here. So I have you to thank." I folded my arms over my chest.

Coulson, who still had a slightly dazed look in his eyes, came back to speak to Tony. "They're waiting for us on the bridge." Then he turned to me. "I'll take care of the bed situation as soon as possible."

"What bed situation?" Tony asked, peeking into the room. I tried to block his vision, but it was in vain. "Who's the kid?" he asked.


	4. Chapter 4

**To the AMAZING AND WONDERFUL anonymous person who posted the review, I LOVE YOU FOREVERRRRR. You seriously brightened up my morning and I can't thank you enough. As to the pairings, the current pairing is Tony/OC/(Other character who hasn't had a big part yet). But he'll be making an appearance in about 3 chapters...  
To all the new followers/favorites, welcome.  
To all the others, don't you want an intro like that? Hahaha, anywho, here is chapter 4. It is ALL flashback, but it does explain a bit about Tony and Lexi and how she got involved with SHIELD.**

**As always, I do not own Avengers, only Lexi and Daph. Pleasepleasepleaseplease read and review, I can't tell you how much I appreciate the reviews!**

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_This looks familiar, vaguely familiar,  
Almost unreal, yet, it's too soon to feel yet.  
Close to my soul, and yet so far away.  
I'm going to go back there someday._

_- I'm Going to Go Back There Someday, by The Muppets_

Tony always was a blabbermouth. It was mere days after he met me and convinced me to sit for a few tests that I was introduced to Agent Coulson. He asked a lot of questions that Tony answered before I could open my mouth, telling him how I could convince people to do things that I wanted to do and how he suspected I could do so much more.

"I can't!" I said, for what seemed like the hundredth time. Tony was obsessed with the idea that I hadn't pushed myself, that I could do more than I claimed. But I couldn't. I'd had this since I'd woken up at the age of 10. I could convince people to do things. That was it. I couldn't mind read or control thoughts or control people for a long period of time or anything like that. No matter what Tony insisted! I folded my arms across my chest and Coulson flashed me a small smile that said I believe you. I nodded and sat back in the chair, a fashionable leather chair that I had taken to curling myself into. I could fit my entire body on the seat, curled up with my head on the arm.

Tony eventually wandered off and I was left alone with Agent Coulson. The conversation was stilted and uncomfortable for a while but it soon regressed into silence. Finally, he broke the silence and stood, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small business card and offered it to me. It said merely his name and a phone number. "If you ever need anything, please call. SHIELD can help you, no matter your situation."

My brain wanted me to tell him off, to tell him I wasn't going to be a government crony, no matter the circumstances, but I simply said, "Thanks."

He left and I went to find Tony. It wasn't a hard guess, he was back in the lab, typing rapidly and throwing figures into the air for JARVIS to take care of. The numbers appeared along side the application, which was running a series of tests. Every so often, a red FAILED sign would flash and an alarm would go off, resetting the calibration.

"What is this?" I asked, looking at the small figures appearing and disappearing rapidly. Tony jumped and clicked another button, the application disappearing.

"Oh nothing, just a little side project. Keeping my mind occupied."

I nodded and took a seat. He looked at me. I looked back at him. I knew the look in his eyes. "Oh come on, no more tests for the night."

"Put your hand here," he motioned to a little metal pad on the desk. I groaned and placed my hand on the pad. There was a prick and I yelped, pulling my hand away immediately. There was a little drop of blood on the tip. "I needed a blood sample," he shrugged, not even looking at me. His eyes were glued to the computer screen.

I folded my arms across my chest. It was usually like this. He would work and we would have a good time till something went wrong and he got crabby. Then he would prick me without telling me and ignore me. I was a test subject.

That card sat by my bed for almost a year before I took Agent Coulson up on his offer. Tony found out very little about what I could do and how I could do it, to his immense displeasure. I could tell that, near the end, he could hardly stand the sight of his research on me. So instead of research, he started teaching me things, like physics and mathematics. He also taught me how to construct my own robots, like his little assistants around the lab.

Finally, I sat him down and had to break the news to him. "Tony, this isn't working. I hate this… we're both pretending not to hate all this research and it's too much. SHIELD offered me a spot and…. Oh god it sounds like I'm breaking up with you," I laugh nervously.

Tony smiled, a rare smile these days. "We can still be friends, of course."

"Of course," I nodded.

"I just wish you had been more willing to try to push yourself," he said and I groaned, turning away from him. There it was. It always came up. He was like a nagging parent with it.

"I have tried, Tony. How could you say that I didn't try? I've spent almost a year pushing myself!"

"Not in a conducive way! You've been pushing yourself till you're exhausted, but nothing has changed on the scans. You don't even care how you do it!"

I don't need to hear this. I roll my eyes and walk out of the room, going to what was designated as my room.

I scooped up the card, my cell (which Tony had bestowed upon me the first day I moved in) and my small bag. I was on the Stark payroll for my work with Tony so I had money. I could support myself. But once I stopped working with Tony, I'd need something else. And that's why SHIELD was such an attractive option.

Once I was out of the apartment, I dialed the number on the card I'd been given almost a year ago. There was a beep and it went directly to a voicemail saying nothing but the phone number and to leave a message.

"Hello, this is Lexi Nadine… We met almost a year ago and you gave me a card. You said that if I needed anything, SHIELD could help… Uhm, please give me a call back," I said, then hung up. I tucked the phone into my pocket and let my feet take me where ever. I suppose it didn't matter where I went. I was hoping to get a quick reply from Agent Coulson.

Of course, there really is nothing in Malibu worth seeing. It's all just fancy houses and too expensive stores. But still, at least it was warm out.

I spent an hour visualizing what was going on back at Tony's. I was sure Obadiah was there, telling Tony how I was bad for the company, that him supporting a street kid was bad for their image and how he needed to get rid of me. I was sure Pepper was there, as she always was. I didn't think she'd speak against me, but I didn't know the woman well. She didn't feel comfortable around me, as if I could take over her mind at any time. That kind of puts a damper on any friendship.

After that hour, my phone rang and I jumped to pick it up.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Nadine?" Agent Coulson's voice said on the other end.

"Yes this is." I bit my lip. What was the protocol for this situation? Speaking to an agent on the phone, asking for a job in their super secret government agency?

"Where are you? I can have a car pick you up and we can discuss your situation."

I gave him the cross streets where I was loitering and he assured me a car was coming to get me.

And that's how I got into SHIELD. And people say it's hard.

No, but I spent the next month and a half training just to prove I was physically able. It was grueling and the lifestyle was much different from the life I'd lived with Tony. But I felt my muscles firming up and becoming more apparent.

It was at about the time that I started taking my physical tests that Tony disappeared. While we hadn't parted on the best terms, I was in tears for a week. I almost failed half the tests because I was so tired. I cried all night so my eyes were too dry to cry during the days. But eventually I passed out from exhaustion and I woke with a brighter outlook. It was Tony Stark. He would be a hard guy to kill and I had to just keep hoping.

I tried to push that situation out of my head and focusing back on my work, which had become increasingly difficult. I was put in charge of the unruly recruits, told to convince them to keep their toes in line with the official SHIELD rules.

I was good at that job.

There was one thing I missed when thinking back to my time with Tony. I missed the friendship. Here there was no real companionship. Most other agents had a partner they worked with on most of their missions but I didn't get missions so I didn't have a partner. All I had were the unruly first weekers. And they were moved frequently, always new ones coming in and others leaving, moving on to training.

I needed a friend.


	5. Chapter 5

**To Tokyogirl7- Glad you like it so far! I'll do my best to keep going like I have. **

**To my lovely followers and favorites: you're all amazing, I can't believe how many reads and followers this story is getting! You all make me so happy =]**

**Just as a notification, I start grad school next week, so I think the updates may slow a bit. I'll let you know on Tuesday or Wednesday how it's looking. **

**As always, I do not own the Avengers, just the dreams I have about them. Please read and review, it makes quite happy. **

* * *

_I'm sitting pretty and I don't know why._

_I've found somebody, said he'll make me fly._

_Wrapped me up in ribbons and he left me to die. _

_Wrapped me up in ribbons and he left me to die. _

_Ribbons, by Ingrid Michaelson_

Tony stood there, looking at Daphne, and then looking back to me. "So? Who's the kid?"

I looked at Agent Coulson for help, but he was still a little far off looking, so I looked back at Tony. Coulson would be no help here. "My kid."

Tony let out a breath and a slight smile curled his lip. "Who left you with a kid?"

"No one "left me with a kid"," I snapped. "And I don't think it's any of your business, _mother._"

He chuckled. "Relax Lex. I was just wondering."

There was a soft buzzing in Agent Coulson's ear and he came to attention, the dazed look gone from his eyes. "Yes sir," he said in response to the voice, then looked at Tony. "We're late." He looked over at me. "Director Fury will speak with you once he's done with us. He'll brief you on your responsibilities here."

"Thank you, Agent Coulson," I said with a nod. He then looked at Tony, who motioned for the Agent to lead him to the bridge.

"How's that girl you've been seeing?" Tony asked the agent as they walked away.

I turned back to Daphne, who was sitting on the bed, the magic pieces lying forgotten around her. Her eyes were glued to me. "Who was that?"

"Someone I used to know, sweet pea," I said, pressing the button for the door to close and went to sit with her on the bed. "Have you learned any new magic tricks?" I asked pointing to the pieces strewn across the bed.

"They're not tricks, Mom. They're _illusions_."

I laughed and nodded. "Then have you learned any new illusions?"

She nodded and picked up a piece of plastic. "This is called the disappearing ball."

About two hours later, there was a knock on the door, startling both Daphne and I. I slid her off my lap where she had been sitting, working on her reading. She was young to start, but she was adamant that she wanted to learn and was ready to learn, so I was happy to teach her.

I stood and pressed the door open to see Agent Maria Hill. This was a young, brunette woman I had known well 5 years ago or so. She smiled to see me, instantly brightening up her straight features. "Director Fury is ready to see you," she said, then looked over my shoulder to see Daphne. "She's adorable!" That was in an undertone.

I smiled. "Can I bring her with? I don't want to leave her here in the room all alone."

Maria thought for a moment, then nodded. "She can stay with me while you're speaking with Fury."

I nodded and turned to Daphne. "Come on, Daph. I want you to meet someone." The four year old bounced off the bed and came over, the little angelic smile on her face. I rolled my eyes; she was a charmer. "Daphne, this is a friend of mine, Agent Maria Hill."

Maria squatted so she was on the same eye level. "Hi Daphne."

"Hello Agent Maria Hill," Daphne chanted back at her, the smile turning slightly mischievous.

"You can just call me Maria, okay?" Maria laughed. "And it's very nice to meet you."

"It's very nice to meet you too," Daphne was back to being the perfect little angel. I rolled my eyes lovingly. She was a character.

Maria led us through the building to what was called the "bridge". When we got there, I realized that it wasn't a building. We were in some kind of flying craft.

"Agent Nadine," a very forceful voice said from behind me. I spun to see Director Fury standing on the platform above us.

I had to steel myself before I could reply. Fury was still the most intimidating man I'd ever met. "I'm not an agent anymore," I corrected. Daphne took my hand and hid behind me, obviously nervous in front of this large, over-powering man.

"You brought your daughter," he observed.

"I couldn't leave her," I defended. Did he expect me to leave a four year old alone in the room?

He nodded and motioned for me to come up the stairs and join him. "Bring the girl." I squeezed Daphne's hand and led her up the metal stairs to the platform. On the large meeting table there was a folder and a small screen implanted in the surface of the table. Fury motioned for me to take the seat in front of the screen. As I sat Daphne wiggled into my lap burying her face in my hair with her arms around my neck.

Fury clicked a button and a video began to play on the screen. There was no sound, but I could see a man in a large glass cage, pacing like a tiger in a zoo. It wasn't just any man. It was that man from the night before. Loki, they'd called him.

"This is Loki." I nodded, eyes glued to the screen. He stopped walking and looked directly at the camera. His gaze, even if it was diffused by the camera, was disconcerting. "He's not exactly from around here." At this point, Fury flipped open the file. Inside was a picture of a glowing blue cube. I lifted the picture and underneath was a page describing the box. "That is the tesseract. We had scientists working on it, working to harness the energy the cube puts out. However, the cube went… rogue and brought Loki here. He stole the cube."

"And I'm supposed to convince him to give it back?" I asked, eyes scanning the sheet in front of me. I slid it over the video where Loki was still staring at me. Daphne turned and looked at the sheet for a moment. Then, she moved the paper out from under my hand and away from the video. She stared at it for a moment, then put her hand on the video. A spark, then the screen cracked and turned off. Both Fury and I stared at her.

"Has she ever done anything like that before?"

"No," I said softly, still staring at the small girl.

"Can she-"

"She usually just… does the same thing I do," I cut him off. "Never anything more."

"Coulson says you don't know who the father is?"

I don't reply to that, I just press my lips to the back of Daphne's head. She turns and looks at me, smiles, and slides off my lap to go look through the railing at all the activity below.

Fury and I look at each other for a moment before I speak. "Coulson promised no tests on her."

"I've been informed. And we will keep that promise. Unless she becomes a danger to the people, we will leave her untouched."

I nod and he calls my attention back to the file, tapping the picture. "Can you do this?"

"Correct me if I am wrong, but Loki is currently secure in a glass… uh… room. No outside contact."

"That is correct."

"Then I can't. I need to be face to face with him. It doesn't work through walls or anything like that."

"We've come up with something for that," Fury said, pulling another file from a seat next to him. "This is Stark's file on you." I groan. Not this again. "He did come up with something since you've left. He got a little more… creative since his incident in Afghanistan."

I take the file and flip it open, past all the sheets I recognized, to the new sheet. After a moment of reading, I looked up at Fury. "Pheromones?" I asked, doubtful.

"Through testing the air around you while you are working Tony was able to detect a small difference in the atomic make up of that air."

"So how can that help us?"

"We can artificially release the pheromones into the cell rather than having your body release them. It would be very easy to do."

"So we have to collect them first."

Fury nodded.

"I'm going to need to sleep first. I can't concentrate enough to work right now." Fury sighed and, with a look to Daphne, then to me, nodded.

"Agent Hill will show you back to your room." He motioned to Maria and she made her way up the stairs. Daphne smiled and waved to her, still looking through the railing at all the people.

When we made it back to the room, it was wonderful to have the door open up and see the two twin beds next to each other. Once the door closed, I looked to Daphne. "Your momma's still got it."

She nodded and yawned. With a soft laugh, I picked her up and carried her over to the bed. She was going to pass out right away.


	6. Chapter 6

_I built this house  
With my own hands  
And she just came  
And burnt the plans  
She found the safe  
And cracked the code  
She grabbed the goods  
And hit the road_

_Homewrecker by HelloGoodbye_

"Tony's back," were the words that tore me away from my thoughts. My head snapped up and I raced out of the room, pushing past Agent Maria Hill. The young woman had been Coulson's main way to contact me so I knew where the message was coming from.

I found him in his office. "I need to go home. I need to see him," I demanded as I threw the door open. But he wasn't alone. Director Fury was with him. Shit.

Fury looked at me with his one good eye and I looked at the ground. That man never failed to scare everything out of me.

"I need to go home, sir. I need to see Tony." I wasn't going to pull anything with this man, he intimidated me too much, I was almost positive that even if I got into his mind that door wouldn't budge. But I forced my eyes up to look at the director. I wasn't a sniveling child; I could look this man in the face and speak intelligently.

Fury interlaced his fingers and gave me a hard stare.

Coulson was the man to break the silence. "We had just been discussing moving on with your training, Agent Nadine."

"Is that to be done immediately?" I asked, finding it easier to look at Coulson while speaking.

"Yes," Fury answered. "It is going to be done immediately. You will be transferred to another office and they will commence your training there."

"Sir, please, if I could have just two days off. Tony has been-"

"Mr. Stark is in very qualified hands. He can manage without you," Fury interrupted. "Pack your things, you leave tomorrow morning."

"Yes sir," was my soft answer. I salute them both and leave the room. I have to find some way to contact him.

I am so wound up in my ridiculous plans to talk to Tony that I trip over a step and land at the feet of Maria Hill. She smothers a soft laugh and I groan, pushing myself up on my elbows. "Sorry," I mutter as I lift myself from my knees.

"They're sending you for field training, aren't they?" Hill asked. As I stood, I nodded. I didn't look at the woman as I brushed myself off. "They won't let you see Stark." She said his name like it hurt to say, like she didn't understand why I would want anything to do with him again.

"No. They won't." I look up now and I can see a bit of sympathy in the lines around her eyes.

"I can't… well… I can't do anything about seeing him, but I do have a way for you to speak to him," she said, her lips barely moving and her voice barely above a whisper.

"How?" I ask, putting a hand on her arm, reaching out for this lifeline.

She led me around the corner and down another hallway. "I have access to a video com. If you can connect to-"

"If I can connect to the house, JARVIS can connect me to Tony."

"Right," Hill nodded. "Meet me here during dinner."

I look up and down the hall. "Thank you, Agent Hill."

A small smile quirked on her lips. "I think you can call me Maria now. Breaking a command from Fury…" she trailed off and I finished the sentence for her.

"I guess we're friends now," I replied, my own lips curling into a smile. There was a quick nod in response, then we parted, me going back to my room to pack my things and Maria going off towards Coulson's office.

It wasn't hard to pack; I had very few possessions at that point. What was hard was waiting for the dinner hour. I had to stop myself from running down the hall towards where I was to meet my new, and only, friend.

When the time had finally crawled its way to 6pm, I arrived to see Maria already waiting. She led me down another hallway to a dead end.

She keyed in a code to the doorpad, 5-3-3-7, and the door swung open. "It's used for the officer's private vid calls. Nothing strange will come up on the register, just another call home," Maria explained and I nodded, following her into the room. As soon as we stepped in, the lights flashed on. I looked around, it seemed pretty standard except for the huge screen along one wall. I was marveling at the grand size while Maria turned it on by tapping a few keys, then typing in an access code which I didn't catch.

"I'll be outside," she said, leaving me alone with the screen.

"Thanks," I nod to the woman and she gives me a terse smile before leaving. I sit at the desk in front of the keyboard and begin typing in a code, a code that would block the call out of the mainframe so it wouldn't be detected and be nearly impossible for the techies to access the call. Once that was done, I typed in the information to connect to the JARVIS system. After a moment, JARVIS's delightfully British voice filled the room.

"You have reached the home video screens of Tony Stark. Who are you trying to contact?"

"JARVIS, it's Lexi. Please put me through to Tony."

"Putting you through to the lab computer, Miss Nadine," the voice responded. If I didn't know better, I'd say the computer system was happy to hear from me again.

"Thanks JARVIS," I say as the vid screen flashes on, revealing the lab. No one was there for a moment. "Hello?" I call. Someone had to be there.

But the person who sat down at the desk wasn't Tony. It was Miss Pepper Potts. "What are you doing in Tony's lab?" I demanded. This probably wasn't the best way to start off. She didn't like me in the first place and this wasn't going to help the situation.

"He just got back from Afghanistan. I was locking it down-"

"You don't have that kind of clearance," I snapped. There was no way Tony would give Pepper permission for that.

"A lot has changed since you left." Was the short reply.

"Obviously." The snotty assistant was now in charge of the lab, Tony's pride and joy.

"Mr. Stark is resting. I think it would be best if you didn't contact him again."

"Don't pretend to have that kind of power, _Miss Potts._ You're Tony's errand girl." Her name tasted acidic on my tongue and I spit it out.

"JARVIS, please do not allow Miss Nadine to contact Mr. Stark again. She has done enough damage."

"Yes, Miss Potts," the computer system said, almost sounding apologetic. "Disabling Miss Nadine's access numbers and scanning face into the blocked list."

The call ended and for a moment, I stared at the screen. I knew Potts didn't like me, but apparently I had underestimated how much.

I turned off the screen and left the room, the lights automatically shutting off behind me. Maria was waiting but didn't ask any question, for which I was grateful.

At least I would be gone from here the next day, I thought as I made my way back to my room. I'd be shipped somewhere else where I would hopefully have something else to do. And hopefully have a partner to rely upon.

* * *

**I'm sorry guys. This is late late late. But to be fair to myself, I have a lot going on with my schedule. And this chapter was ridiculously hard to write. I started over three or four times, so I apologize if it's crap. But I needed to move onto the next chapter, so I finally pounded this out.**

**In the next chapter we'll get to see a bit of the scheming SHIELD, hiding stuff from Lexi. **

**I am going to try to finish that chapter tonight so I can post it either tomorrow night or Tuesday, but I cannot promise anything. That one will come with a new schedule update. **

**Hope you enjoyed. Reviews are lovely. **


	7. Chapter 7

**Ugh I am so sorry. I know, this is awfully late. I apologize and believe me, I feel awful. I started grad school and that kept me so busy. I'm not sure how often I will be updating this as I am currently struggling with some depression and anxiety issues. But I'm sorry and know that I haven't forgotten you.**

**Thanks for everyone who reviewed and followed, you guys make me smile!**

* * *

_I wish I had a coat of silk, the color of the sky._

_I wish I had a lady fair, and then a butterfly._

_I wish I had a house of stone that looked down on the sea. _

_But most of all, I wish that I was someone else but me._

- _Wishing Song, By the Muppets_

When I woke in the morning, it was to Daphne singing to herself in the bathroom. It was a habit that had sprouted from my singing in the shower, she thought that she had to sing whenever she was in the bathroom, something I found to be adorable and amusing. But this instance was less adorable and more frightening. She was singing in a different language, a language that I hadn't heard before. It wasn't just gibberish, it sounded like a legitimate language that I didn't know and hadn't heard. Ever.

After a few moments of listening and the goose bumps crawling up and down my arms in this sudden strangeness, I got out of bed and knocked on the door.

"Daph? What are you doing?" I called.

She opened the door, a big grin on her face. "I'm brushing my hair." She was holding her pink sparkly hairbrush that I didn't think I'd grabbed before we left. I stared at it for a moment, and then tried to dismiss the thought from my head. Maybe I'd slipped it into her backpack without thinking.

I shook my head, trying to dislodge the thought and went to dress. But when I opened our bags, I found my clothes replaced by a regulation SHIELD uniform identical to the uniforms I'd seen the day before. Daphne's clothes were still present and accounted for thankfully. But all of my things were gone and my clothing I currently wore were looking pretty bad, wrinkled beyond all hope of saving without an industrial dry cleaning unit. So, I gritted my teeth and pulled on the uniform, thankful for the pair of underwear and bra that had been hiding beneath the uniform. Great job, agent whoever. You left a thong to wear under the skintight uniform. Asshole.

After Daphne was dressed and she deemed herself ready, we left the room. We were both sick of being cooped up in the metal room and I was all to glad to attempt to recreate our journey to the bridge of the day before.

Daphne seemed to remember how to get there better than I did; in fact she had seemed to memorize the route. She led me by the hand down a hallway and through an arch, down another hallway, turned a corner and through a doorway. Then we were in the bridge without being noticed. Daphne made to run off but I held tightly onto her hand and held her to me as I heard a voice say my name.

"There is no reason why Agent Nadine needs to know that." It was Director Fury. I first bristled at the fact he called me "Agent". I haven't been an agent in five years. Then, I was suspicious of what I didn't need to know.

"Sir," Maria replied, "It's her daughter. She deserves to know. I'm surprised she hasn't mentioned or even asked about the memory loss. She has absolutely no idea who the father is!"

"She'd dismiss it," another voice said. It was Tony. "Because of her memory problems in the past, she'd think occasional memory loss is normal." Why the hell was Tony privy to this conversation? There was a moment's pause.

"So you're saying that you realized this last night?" Maria asked.

"The girl made a screen explode by looking at it," Fury answered. I glanced down at Daphne, who looked back up and grinned at me. Well she was pleased about that little trick.

"That was fun," she whispered. I gave her a quick smile while chewing on the inside of my cheek. What were they keeping from me?

Agent Coulson walked around the corner of the platform and saw me.

"Agent Nadine," he said, obviously letting the people on the platform know I was present. "We were just about to send someone to retrieve you."

I gave him a terse smile. "We got tired of waiting. And I am no longer an agent, sir. Lexi will do… or I guess Ms. Nadine, if you must."

Fury and Maria walked over to the side of the platform to look at me. "Stark will take you to the lab to start your work."

"Speaking of not being an agent," I continued, as if he hadn't spoken, "I would like my civies back."

"We gave you the uniform to protect you while in the presence of Loki." Fury replied, clearly holding tight to his temper.

"Then I will wear the uniform in the presence of Loki. Not before."

"When you are on my ship, you will dress as an agent, act like an agent, and be referred to as "agent". Is that understood?" I set my hands on my hips and glared. He put up a hand before I could even open my mouth. "Don't think about using your abilities, agent. I know you did it to Coulson," there was a snort from Tony's direction, "and I will have you bound and gagged before it happens again."

"You honestly think you could arrest me?" I snapped, feeling Daphne move behind me.

"I would make it happen, even if it took having 30 men around you at all times," Fury replied, his single eye blazing.

"It wouldn't be that difficult. In fact, you could use the room Reindeer Games is in right now."

"Shut up Tony," I quipped, head snapping in his direction. He grinned and saluted.

"I believe we're finished here," Fury said, then motioned for me to follow Tony. I gritted my teeth and followed Tony, Daphne trailing after us.

"So you've got a kid now?" Tony asked

"Obviously," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

He led Daph and I past a sliding glass door. Inside was a load of machinery, all very sleek looking. I ran my hand along the white surface of the nearest device. "Very nice, Tony. Much better than your weapons."

"You never did approve," he said with a chuckle.

"Never stopped you."

"Why would it stop me?" he asked with a smirk. I rolled my eyes again and watched as Daphne slipped through the machines, disappearing into the forest of sterile surfaces.

"So what is this amazing new process you've discovered?"

Slowly, Tony began to explain it to me. He'd designed a collection chamber, which he showed off quite proudly. "When you step in there and do your thing, I'll have the fans going, collecting the pheromones. It'll be compressed and connected to the filters on pretty pretty princess's cage. When you go in, I'll start the filtering of the collected gas. It should work just the same as a normal day for you."

I shot him a look and he grinned.


	8. Chapter 8

Demons are prowling everywhere nowadays

I'll send them howling,

I don't care I've got ways/

Demons will charm you with a smile

for a while, but in time,

nothing can harm you, not while I'm around

"Not While I'm Around" From Sweeney Todd

As Stark warmed up the machine, I rolled up the sleeves of my uniform and took a breath to calm and focus myself. He motioned for me to enter just as Daphne joined us. She was carrying her magic kit, which I know she hadn't had previously.

"Where did you get that?" I asked, holding up a hand to Tony.

"The room."

"Did you go back without me?"

"No, I brought it."

"No you didn't, Daph. I would have noticed you carrying it."

"Is this really important?" Tony asked, sounding thoroughly bored. Daphne set down the kit and walked into the collecting unit.

"Daph, get out of there. We need to start."

"I want to help," she persisted. I looked at Tony for back up.

He shrugged. "If she can do it too, why not? The more the merrier." I sighed and stepped into the chamber as well.

"Concentrate," I instructed Daphne.

"I know," she said, rolling her eyes. When did my child become a teenager?

There was a loud whirring sound and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Okay," Tony called as the fan shut off and Daphne and I opened our eyes. "We've got enough, you could probably convince slimy to wash his hair."

"You think you're so clever," I said as I stepped out of the high ceiling-ed tube.

"Course I do," Tony replied with a grin. "Cause I am." I rolled my eyes and ushered Daphne out of the lab.

"Do your damn job so we can get off this thing," I called before the door slid shut behind me.

The room I was escorted into was familiar only because I'd seen it in the video feed. It was dark, metal, and meant to be intimidating, everything Fury liked to see in interior decorating.

But my gaze was drawn to the center of the room, where a lighted glass... cage held the green eyed man I'd been brought to meet. His eyes met mine and the same burning caustic feeling filled my insides.

A throat behind me cleared. "Agent Nadine-"

"I need privacy," I said, waving a hand at him. "Go."

"Ma'am-" the agent had clearly been instructed not to leave me alone.

"Go," I said, forcing the door open and shoving myself through. "Get out." He nearly ran out of the room. With Maria watching Daphne, I could concentrate on this strangely familiar man.

"So, they sent the thief to wiggle out the truth," he purred.

"Thief is a harsh word," I answered with a shrug.

"Do you prefer 'manipulator'?" His voice had an edge, almost as if he was going to start laughing at me. But it would have been a cruel laugh.

"Charismatic."

He laughed at this. "So you plan on convincing me to, what? Give up my plans and leave your pathetic little planet in peace?"

"Well your plans are going so well right now," I observed, motioning to the room around us. "They want their thing back." This was matter of fact.

"Of course they do. But they must know that you will have no power over me."

"And how would they know that?"

"Don't you know? Besides this crude glass prison, there is one glaringly obvious point."

"Enlighten me," I motioned for him to elaborate. I was curious what this point could be.

"Do you not remember? The small girl with the little green eyes? Always crying, always hungry, always in pain? Always wishing someone would hear you?" I took a step back. What?

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Loki laughed. "You did it, didn't you? You shut it out. Oh that is so... mortal. Your mother dying in your little arms, bleeding her life's blood over the tiny girl, praying her father wouldn't come back for her."

I rocked back on my heels, suddenly I was not in the room anymore. I was not anywhere I could remember.

My arms were tiny against the body that they held, gripping tightly against the slippery skin of the corpse. The face I saw, the face covered in blood so close to my own... I recognized it, though I could swear the moment before that I had never seen it in my life. It was my mother though I had no idea where that fact had come from. I was crying because I was scared my father would return.

"Poor little girl," Loki's voice said. I spun, seeing him pacing like a predatory cat circling its prey. "Reaching out for any help you could find."

The heavy, cooling body started to slide out of my little arms and I scrambled to keep it in my already blood soaked lap. I looked down, ignoring Loki, to see my mother's face. Her grey eyes were wide, scared in death, and her mouth was open in an eternal silent scream. She was the most beautiful woman I'd had ever seen, with long brown hair and light freckles across her cheeks.

"She was young." Loki observed, crouching down next to me. "Nearly 17 when you were born. Now your father on the other hand, he was much older. Never wanted you or your mother. He made that pretty clear, didn't he?" he asked, a hand running over my face. I recoiled, pain bit where he touched, there must have been a bruise on my cheek. I remembered a blow, hitting my young face, making me fall back against the bed frame.

I was startled by the sound of the door bursting open. I buried my face in the soaked cloth of my mother's dress, crying again. Anything but him, please. But instead of my father at the door, it was a police officer, a kind looking man who took one look at myself and the body I held and proceeded to call for the EMTs. A young woman came into the room and began speaking softly to me as I began to sob again. They began to pull the body away from me and I screamed, clutching tightly. Until a young man came into the room, dressed well in a suit and green tie. Then, my younger self quieted, let go of the body and rushed into the arms of the young man. I watched, suddenly detached from the young body. His arms. What was he doing there?

I was shocked to find myself back in my full sized body, now sprawled on the cold metal floor while a man hunched over me. He wore a suit and a very concerned look on his face. "Agent Nadine-"

"I'm fine," I snapped, pushing him back as I stood.

"You've been out for nearly five minutes."

"Well now I am fine. So please get out of my face." I didn't even look at the man, I only saw Loki now. "I'm fine now, you can leave," I told the man. I was done arguing, my eyes not leaving the laughing green eyes of the prisoner. He heard the steel in her voice and left, walking quickly.

"You are wasting your talents," Loki observed. "They could do so much more for you."

"I don't want to talk about that right now." I replied. "I want to know why you were there."

"Why I was where?" he asked, face all innocence.

"Don't do that. Answer the damn question."

"Your powers were meant for more than this, serving at the beck and call of these inferior beings."

"And what would you know about my powers?"

He stared at me, apparently trying to discern if I was playing him. "Did you truly forget everything? I gave you those powers."


End file.
